NFL Team Grades – Week 3: What’s Wrong With The Patriots?

Cleveland Browns: A-, It’s too early to say that a star is born, but Baker Mayfield followed a Hollywood script in leading Browns to their first win since 2016. Let loose the suds!

New York Jets: C+, The easy inclination is to belittle Jets for losing to Browns. However, the Jets started strong and Browns happened to play well.

Saints 43, Falcons 37

New Orleans Saints: B+, The defense seems non-existent, but when Drew Brees is on his game, he is still capable of playing a great game. An excellent comeback effort and OT win.

Atlanta Falcons: B-, Thrilling performance by Matt Ryan — 5 TDs — but the team suffers a heartbreaking home OT loss to the arch-rival Saints.

Adrian Peterson (Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Redskins 31, Packers 17

Washington Redskins: B+, After a stinker at home against the Colts, the Redskins show some muscle in punishing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Green Bay Packers: C-, The Packers are a better team than the Redskins, but they didn’t play like it and they fell short on the road. Rodgers’ long TD pass to Geronimo Allison was a highlight, though

Eagles 20, Colts 16

Philadelphia Eagles: C+, It took everything the Birds had to beat the Colts at home. That’s not a good sign, but at least Carson Wentz is back in the lineup.

Indianapolis Colts: B, The Colts had a chance to win the game on the final possession on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions. That is progress.

Bills 27, Vikings 6

Buffalo Bills: A, The Bills pulled off the most shocking performance of the early season, as they dominated the Super Bowl hopeful Vikings on their home turf. Josh Allen led the offense and refused to throw an interception.

Minnesota Vikings: F, The Super Bowl favorite got manhandled at home by an inspired Bills team. Zimmer must get his team to put the loss behind them.

Kenny Stills (Photo Credit: Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Dolphins 28, Raiders 20

Miami Dolphins: B, After a rough start against the Raiders, the Dolphins get credit for their ability to battle from behind and close out an opponent.

Oakland Raiders: D+, Is this starting to sound familiar? Raiders get off to good start but fade away in the second half and lose. Chucky’s team is 0-3.

Ravens 27, Broncos 14

Baltimore Ravens: B+, The Ravens are showing some consistency in the first quarter of the season, and after falling behind early, they came back behind Joe Flacco and a tough defense.

Denver Broncos: C, The Broncos played hard against the tough Ravens, but could not sustain their effort.

Panthers 31, Bengals 21

Carolina Panthers: B, The Panthers had to fight to beat the Bengals, a notoriously bad road team. At least they came up with the win.

Cincinnati Bengals: C, The Bengals played a competitive game on the road, and Andy Dalton threw for 352 yards. Just not good enough to get over the top.

Saquon Barkley (Photo Credit: Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Giants 27, Texans 22

New York Giants: B+, Pat Shurmur gets his first win as Giants head coach, and Eli bounces back with excellent effort. Saquon does his thing as well.

Houston Texans: D, We put this squarely on the doorstep of overwhelmed head coach Bill O’Brien. He may not be able to hold onto his job until midseason.

Titans 9, Jaguars 6

Tennessee Titans: B, It’s a rarity for any team to win in the NFL without a touchdown, but that’s just what the Titans did. Ryan Succop’s three field goals got the job done.

Jacksonville Jaguars: D, The Jags were flat after a win over the Pats and couldn’t even beat an injured Titans team. Not acceptable for a team on the rise.

Chiefs 38, 49ers 27

Kansas City Chiefs: A-, The Chiefs are starting to look like a powerful offensive team that could go a very long way. Mahomes looks like an MVP candidate in the season’s early going.

Detroit Lions: A-, The death march has been canceled, as Matt Patricia gets a win over his old boss Belichick. The Lions found a running game, and their pride returns.

New England Patriots: D+, The Pats were supposed to bounce back after their Week 2 loss to the Jaguars. Instead, they got handled by Lions, allowing struggling team to look good.

Steelers 30, Buccaneers 27

Pittsburgh Steelers: B+, Steelers come alive and get their first win of the season. The defense registered three picks, and Big Ben had a monster game, throwing for 353 yards and three scores. Antonio Brown caught one of those TD passes, but Vance McDonald’s stiff arm was the highlight of the night.

Tampa Bay Bucs: C+, Bucs take the loss, but Ryan Fitzpatrick & Co. came back in the second half and nearly stole the game. Early Fitzpatrick interceptions hurt, but the comeback effort was impressive.